This invention relates to the feeding of flat articles, such as cigarette packets.
In the packaging of cigarettes it is usual for cigarette packets (whether of the hinged lid or soft pack type) to be wrapped in an outer transparent wrapper which includes a tear tab for opening the packet. There are a number of different positions for such tear tabs, consequently it is required for the packets to enter the wrapping machine in the correct orientation.
Where the supply of packets from the packing machine is via a reservoir (such as the Molins packet reservoir known as PACER) the packets may often be unloaded in batches, i.e. in intermittent streams of packets touching end to end, whereas the wrapping machine requires packets to be fed to it in a regular spaced manner.